Abstract
BackgroundThis study investigates whether a typology of work exposure can be established among older workers in Germany. Work exposure comprises physical work, working time quality, work intensity, skills & discretion, social environment, leadership, continued education, earnings and work prospects.MethodsLatent profile analysis was conducted on a representative sample of the socially insured workforce in Germany born in 1959 or 1965 (N = 6277). Seven year-prospective associations between the typology and work-related outcomes (physical and mental health, work ability and work-privacy-conflict) were investigated to establish the distinctness of the profiles.ResultsFive profiles were identified: “Poor Quality” (19%), “Relaxed Manuals” (30%), “Strained non-Manuals” (16%), “Smooth Running” (33%) and “High Flying” (3%). These profiles exhibited diverging patterns of association with the selected outcomes, thus representing qualitatively distinct subgroups of older workers in Germany.ConclusionsWe conclude that a typological approach may broaden the understanding of the ageing work force and the complex interplay of the overall work situation with outcomes of high individual and social relevance such as health, work ability and employment. The five work profiles identified in this study may constitute crucial clusters needed to reliably mirror today’s over-all work exposure patterns in the older work force in Germany. They may allow for the comprehensible monitoring of quality of work and personal life among the older work force during their last working years and their transition to retirement in current times of extending working lives.
Highlights
This study investigates whether a typology of work exposure can be established among older workers in Germany
The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) did not reach a minimum up to a solution with 10 profiles. As both criteria dropped in smaller steps for solutions with more than five profiles, this solution was favoured (AIC/BIC – four profiles: 322421.1/323109.2, five profiles: 321545.7/ 322301.1, six profiles: 320995.8/321818.7 and seven profiles: 320445.6/321335.9)
The numeric decrease for AIC and BIC was smaller for solutions with more than five profiles and the percentage distribution of employees in the five profile solutions was comparable to that in the full sample analysis, indicating relative stability
Summary
In 2008, 28% of the working population in Germany were aged 50 years or more, ten years later, the proportion has increased to 40% [1]. This trend has not reached its climax yet, as German policy is concerned to keep older workers as long as possible in the labour market [2]. Basic research questions resulting from such an analysis approach are, for example, the investigation of the impact of work-organisational factors on work ability [5] and of work stress [6], shift work or extended working hours [7] on health.
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